App 2

Today's activities

Challenge yourself. Listen to the fast audio recording first and try to understand as much as you can. You're able to get a few words, or even sentences? You should be proud of yourself!1.5 minutes listening

Now switch to the slow audio recording. While you listen, read the German text and check your understanding using the English translation. Repeat difficult sentences.3 minutes studying

Now it's time for speaking! Practice once with the slow audio recording, then pick 5 useful sentences that you repeat more often.5 minutes

Go to the listening and translation exercises.5 minutes studying

Read the notes, if you think they might be helpful today. You think you'll have difficulties to remember them? Just repeat the example sentences 2-3 times in chorus with the native speaker. That's much more better than learning any grammar rule by heart.4 minutes

Did you know? Getting into different roles while you're speaking help you remember. Parrot the native speaker, exaggerate!

Anne is sitting in a coffee shop, she sees a woman and starts talking to her.“What’s your name?”“Anne, what’s yours [/and you?]?”“My name is Nathalie.”“Where are you from?”“I’m from Germany.And you?”“I’m from Germany.”“Do you live in Germany?”“Yes. And you?”“Yes.”“Then you surely have a house here!”“Yes I live alone in a house.And you?”“Mmm… I’ll get a house.”“You’ll get a house?”“Yes. Ms. Schmidt (Anne points to a woman sitting at another table) has an old house.”“You’ll get that?Are you [to-you] sure?”“Yes, I am [to-me] sure,I can have it.”Nathalie leaves.Anne’s friend Daniel enters the coffee shop. Three months ago, he told her that he’d move to Austria. But apparently, his plans have changed…“Daniel, is that you [/are you it?]?You are here, in Germany?”“Yes, I am still in Germany.I still live here in Berlinand I am going to stay here.”At home, Anne plays hide and seek with her daughter.“Can you see me?”“I see you.”“How can you see me?”“Can I come?”“Yes, you can come!”

How to get a house.How to get a woman.How to get herwhen you have a house.I (can) see you.You see me.He sees her.She sees it.He sees him.We see you [pl.].You see them.They see us.

Listening and Writing

click to listen - fill in the gap - click again and speak in chorus with the native speaker.

▶„Anne, unddu?“

▶„Woherkommstdu?/Wokommst du her?“

▶„Dannhastdu sicher einHaushier?“

▶„Ja, ich wohne allein ineinemHaus.

▶„DubekommsteinHaus?“

▶„Ja. Frau Schmidt (Anne points to a woman sitting at another table) hateinaltesHaus.“

▶ichkanneshaben.“

▶„Daniel, bistdues?

▶„Ja, ich bin immernochin Deutschland.

▶„Kannstdu mich sehen?“

▶WiemaneinHausbekommt.

▶Ich sehe dich.

▶Du siehst mich.

▶Er sieht sie.

▶Sie sieht es.

▶Es sieht ihn.

▶Wir sehen euch.

▶Ihr seht sie.

▶Sie sehen uns.

Translating and Writing

Fill in the gap, then click the English sentence and speak in chorus with the native speaker.

“What’s your name?”„Wie heißt du?“

“My name is Nathalie.”„Ich heiße Nathalie.“

“I’m from Germany.„IchkommeausDeutschland.

And you?”Unddu?“

“Do you live in Germany?”„WohnstduinDeutschland?“

“Yes. And you?”„Ja. Unddu?“

“Yes.”„Ja.“

“Yes I live alone in a house.„Ja, ichwohneallein in einem Haus.

Are you [to-you] sure?”Bistdu dir sicher?“

“Yes, I am [to-me] sure,„Ja, ichbinmirsicher,

You are here, in Germany?”DubisthierinDeutschland?“

I still live here in BerlinIch wohne immer noch hierinBerlin

and I am going to stay here.”undichbleibehier. “

“Can you see me?”„Kannst du mich sehen?“

“I see you.”„Ich sehedich.“

“Can I come?”„Kannichkommen?“

“Yes, you can come!”„Ja, dukannstkommen!“

when you have a house.wennmaneinHaushat.

I (can) see you.Ich sehe dich.

You see me.Du siehst mich.

He sees her.Er sieht sie.

She sees it.Sie sieht es.

He sees him.Es sieht ihn.

We see you [pl.].Wir sehen euch.

You see them.Ihr seht sie.

They see us.Sie sehen uns.

notes 2

Personal Pronoun Forms: Nominative, Accusative

As in English, there are different forms (cases) of personal pronouns. All basic forms (nominative) and the direct-pronoun (accusative) forms (“I see you as” as opposed to “I give it to you” (indirect, dative)) are given in the following sentences:

I (can) see you. You see me. He sees her. She sees it. He sees him. We see you [pl.]. You see them. They see us.

sehen (see) - Präsens

Read the sentences again and now pay attention that the verb forms for wir (we) and sie (they) are the same as the infinitive forms and that the form for ihr (you pl.) is the same as for er/sie/es (he/she/it). Also note that there is a vowel change in the second and third person singular.

I (can) see you. You see me. He sees her. She sees it. He sees him. We see you [pl.]. You see them. They see us.

The all-round Präsens

Understand that there is no present progressive in German, and that in spoken German, the present forms are also used to talk about the future, much more often than the actual future forms of the verb.

“Mmm… I’ll get a house.” “You’ll get a house?” I still live here in Berlin and I am going to stay here.”

WO. Questions

The basic word order in simple German and English questions is the same: Compared to basic sentences, subject and verb are inversed.

verb-subject-object (vs. subject-verb(-object))

„Bistdu dir sicher?“

“Are you [to-you] sure?”

The word order in German W(h)-questions resembles the English one, too: it’s wh-pronoun–verb–subject.

„Wie heißtdu?“
„Woher kommstdu?/Wo kommstdu her?“

“What’s your name?” “Where are you from?”

WO. Auxiliaries

The word order in a sentence containing an auxiliary verb like können (can) is a little bit different, if there are objects in the sentence. It’s subject-can/…-object-verb. Objects are placed between the auxiliary and the verb.

„Ja, dukannst kommen!“
„Ja, ich bin mir sicher, ichkann es haben.“

“You can come!” I’m sure that I can have it.

This also applies to questions.

Wh-can–subject–object –verb.

„Kannst du mich sehen?“
„Wie kannst du mich sehen?“
„Kann ichkommen?“

“Can you see me?” “How can you see me?” “Can I come?”

WO. Adverbs

The usual position of the adverbs is the same as in English: at the end of the sentence. However, it’s time before place, not place before time.

Ich wohne immer nochhier in Berlin und ich bleibe hier. “

I still live here in Berlin and I am going to stay here.”

In sentences using auxiliaries adverbials are usually placed before the verb they refer to.

Ich kann dich nochsehen. [I can still see you.]

WO. Verb Position in Subordinate Clauses

In sentences starting with wenn (when) and in many other subordinate clauses, the verb is placed at the end, behind the object and adverbials (time, place …).

Wie man sie bekommt,
wenn man ein Haus hat.

How to get her when you have a house.

How-to expressions

How to do-expressions are translated to German Wie man… (How one…). English translations of man can be one and you: man is used when a statement is general and not applied to someone in particular.